Under Cover of Night
by ClockwerkOrange
Summary: Carmelita Fox is doing work for Interpol Venice, and when Sly Cooper returns before facing Doctor M., things get complicated.
1. Inspector Fox's Morning

Inspector Fox sat down on her bed and yawned. It had been an uneventful day, patrolling the waters of Venice. _Actually,_ she thought to herself, _there was one event..._ _my gondola hit a fish._ _A FISH!_ She clawed at the air. _Of course_, she continued, _I suppose no news is good news... there aren't any leads on Octavio's crimes yet, though._ She yawned again. _I don't know why I'm so tired_, she thought,_ I didn't stay up late or anything_. Fox pulled up the blanket, and placed her head on the pillow.

_The next morning..._

Carmelita awoke with a start. _Nightmares, again... sifting through blurry pictures and questioning people too afraid to talk about crimes committed by the mob must be starting to get to me._ She sighed, got out of bed, and walked out of the bedroom. There was a blue flash by the window as she entered the apartment's hallway. She backed up against the wall, reached for her shock pistol that was laid on the table, and walked slowly to the window. She looked around... and sighed. _Now I'm getting paranoid. First, I have a night full of terrible dreams... and now I'm imagining Sly Cooper darting past my window._

_...Wait. There was a blue flash... it could have... okay, now I'm really getting paranoid_, she thought with a frown.

"Maybe breakfast with coffee will wake me up..."

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	2. Morning Rounds in the Streets of Venice

Carmelita Fox yawned sleepily as she crossed a bridge, shock pistol held by her side. She thought of the blue blur that passed her window that morning. _You know, it might have been Cooper. He's trying to mess with me or something... I mean, what's the big idea spying on someone in their own home? ...Well, he is a thief._ Suddenly, a memory pinged through her consciousness. _Something fuzzy... a dream... a dream from last night... yes. It was about... Cooper?_ _Geez, I need to get a hobby._

Suddenly, one of Octavio's guards ran towards Carmelita... and past her. She raised an eyebrow and walked in the direction he ran from. She saw a guard standing at the front of a coffeehouse... wait...

"Cooper!" she yelled, whipping out her shock pistol.

The guard yelped, pulled out a cane, and commenced climbing a street light. It was Sly for sure. She leaped to the roof and fired off a few bolts at Sly... which missed. Sly leaped off the side of the building and fell out of view. There was a splash. ..._Sly can't swim!_ Carmelita thought, running to the side of the roof. Looking down, she saw that a guard had fallen in the water... Sly must have landed on him. Ouch. She looked to the left. Cooper was still running. He looked back and winked.

"Cooper!" Carmelita yelled, ready to jump off the roof... when she slipped.

"Aaaahhhhhhhh!"

_...Splash..._

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	3. Tense Afternoon

Carmelita awoke with a gasp... in her apartment. She grimaced. _So, that episode was just a bad dream_, she thought.

Then she nodded to herself. _Octavio had already been taken down...but, his guards were still out on the streets... with new management. So, either that was a bad dream or I was really tired_. She chuckled. _Well, my alarm clock hasn't gone off yet... I guess I'll sleep a bit longer_. She curled up and sighed. _Wait._ She tensed. _What time is it?_ She pushed back the blanket and checked the clock. _Oh... it's four. Four... P.M.?_ There was a sound from her kitchen. She bit her lip, and got out of bed slowly... she checked the table next to her bed. Her shock pistol was gone. She walked into the hallway... past the closet... and peeked into the kitchen. She couldn't get a clear view of anyone in there, but she heard many shuffling and tingling noises. _Well, this is it,_ she thought. She leaped into the room, and rolled into the center. Looking up, she saw the Cooper gang, all with raised eyebrows.

"Cooper!" she shouted, "I should have known you were behind... um... whatever has been... going... on," she said awkwardly.

"I don't think that the Inspector even knows what happened, Sly," Bentley commented.

"Right... Carmelita, you took a nasty bump on the head when you slipped off that roof... obviously, you fell right into the water," Sly said, smiling. "Well, I can't swim, but I was able to fish you out..."

Carmelita frowned... then put on a furious expression. "What are you doing in my apartment?" she asked furiously.

"I'm making a sandwich, Inspector!" Murray yelled triumphantly, "And it is beyond the mortal planes of delicious-making!" Murray put mustard on the sandwich.

"That's my mustard, criminal," Carmelita said with venom.

"Well, being a criminal, I think Murray just stole your mustard," Sly said, chuckling.

Carmelita's expression showed her response. Sly's chuckling died away. He frowned. "I did save your life... I think I'm entitled to a few awkward jokes," he said, winking.

"Don't you _dare _wink at _me_, Cooper," Carmelita said, clenching her fist.

"I am sensing some tension in the room," Bentley said, adjusting his glasses. "I suggest we all leave Inspector Fox to recuperating from her head injury ordeal."

As Bentley finished, Sly nodded. "Murray, bring your sandwich. We'll be going, Inspector," Sly said, walking out. "Oh, by the way, would you like to have dinner tonight?" Sly asked.

"No."

"My treat?" Sly said, frowning.

"I can't accept the fruits of criminal activity," Carmelita said.

Sly leaned towards her. "It's not about dinner, Inspector. There's a problem... we might be under surveillance right now." Carmelita frowned.

"By the way, Inspector... your shock pistol is in the third drawer in your bedroom... from the top." Sly pulled the door shut.

Carmelita rolled her eyes, walked back to her bedroom, sighed, and counted the drawers. She opened it, and with a yelp, hundreds of Sly Cooper paper calling cards flew out. At the bottom was her shock pistol.

"Ringtail_..._!"

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	4. Superintendent Nata

It was a starry afternoon in Venice, and the view was excellent from the windowed restaurant. Inspector Fox was sitting at a table next to the window, twisting one of her dark hair's curls with her index finger, waiting for a _criminal _to tell her what this dinner is all about. A hand touched her shoulder. She spun around.

"Madam, your husband has arrived," the waiter said, and walked away.

Husband? Sly walked to the table and sat down.

"Nice suit, husband," Carmelita said, raising an eyebrow.

"Husband? Well, I didn't tell the waiter to say that," Sly said, grinning.

"I didn't say anything about the waiter telling me anything," Carmelita said, smiling.

_Why am I smiling?_ She frowned.

"You probably stole that suit, anyway," Carmelita said in a grim tone.

"Well, actually, yes. Yes, I did," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"God. It isn't," Carmelita said, putting her hand to her mouth, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Yes, Carmelita. I wore this on our first dance," Sly answered. Carmelita started laughing.

"No kidding... wait, down to business. Why did you want to have dinner?" she asked, regaining her composure.

"Just so I could look into your beautiful eyes," he said. Carmelita stared at him sternly.

"Okay... have you heard about the new Superintendent at Interpol?" Sly asked quietly.

"Yes... the new Superintendent... Celia Nata. So?" Carmelita asked.

"She's running some kind of operation, illegal of course, and she's using her rank to keep Interpol from finding out anything about it."

Carmelita stared at Sly with a blank expression. "How do you know this? You had better find some proof, _thief,_ before you start accusing members of _Interpol _of criminal activity."

Sly whipped out a photograph of the former mob boss, Octavio's, men... talking to Superintendent Nata.

"That doesn't constitute as proof of anything," Carmelita said, looking at the photograph with a frown.

Superintendent Nata was exceedingly beautiful... she was a tall, black cat with striking eyes. She was wearing a simple uniform.

"Look closer," Sly advised.

Carmelita did... and noticed that Nata was handing over an envelope, and one of the mob goons was handing over an unmarked briefcase.

"Oh," Carmelita said, rubbing her temples. "This isn't good. What's in that briefcase... and that envelope?" she asked, still studying the photograph.

Sly whipped out an unmarked envelope with a grim expression. "See for yourself."

Carmelita reached for the envelope and opened the unsealed flap. There was a photograph in there. She took it out, and put a hand over her mouth. It was a picture of Carmelita. Her.

"It doesn't end there. Read the back," Sly said quietly.

"_Target: Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox. Danger to operation."_

_

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	5. During the Night

Inspector Fox put the photograph back into the envelope. "So, I'm going to be hunted down by agents of my superior?" Carmelita asked, frowning.

"Yes. Don't go home," Sly said quietly.

"That photo still isn't enough evidence, and I can't tell anyone at Interpol... they could be working for Nata, and even if they weren't, they wouldn't accept evidence given by a notorious thief," Carmelita muttered, "In fact, I should be cuffing you right now," she said, smiling.

"What would be the fun in that?" Sly said, chuckling quietly.

"So, what do you suggest I do, Cooper?" Carmelita asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I've taken the liberty of paying for a hotel room for you to stay for a while. It would be in both of our interests to gather evidence against Superintendent Nata and expose her operation, whatever it is, without her accomplices catching wind of it first... and, regarding the hotel room, I suppose you will have to accept the fruits of criminal activities once again," Sly said, returning to his smooth and partially cheery self, "And, speaking of..." he said, looking up.

"Hello, sir and madam, what will you have from our menu today?" the waiter asked, holding a pad and pencil.

"I'll have any type of pasta with your best tomato sauce... I've been meaning to try some after a... friend told me about his mother's sauce," Sly said in a pleasant tone.

Carmelita skimmed the menu, and didn't find anything particularly outstanding. "I suppose I'll have the same." The waiter nodded.

"Yes, Madam Fox," he said, and walked away.

"You didn't give him your name..." Sly said with a dark look. "I don't know... maybe," Carmelita said, frowning.

The meal arrived several minutes later, and Carmelita smelled something odd about the sauce. "That's funny... it smells like almonds," she said.

Sly paled. The waiter placed down Sly's plate and walked away briskly.

"Don't eat it," Sly whispered, "It's poisoned."

Carmelita looked up, "How can you tell?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Cyanide smells like almonds when it's damp. That's sauce. Don't eat it... we need to get out of here," he said, gazing around the room. Sly and Carmelita stood up, and walked rapidly to the exit.

"Looks like you've managed to save my life yet again, Ringtail," Carmelita said, looking up at the stars.

"I suppose," Sly commented. "I should escort you to the hotel," he said, still looking around cautiously. He grabbed Inspector Fox's hand.

"Don't get any ideas, Cooper," she warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Sly replied, as they walked down the sidewalk at a brisk pace.

They arrived at the lobby of the hotel, and Sly nodded at the concierge. He walked over and gave Carmelita a key card.

"Enjoy your stay at the _Rosa di Cristallo _Hotel," the concierge said unenthusiastically.

"Gee. Thanks," Carmelita said, walking to the elevator. Sly chuckled, and followed. The elevator door closed, and Sly pressed the button labeled for the ninth floor. They waited in silence as the weight shifted in the elevator as it began to climb. The door slid open quietly as the elevator arrived.

"Which room was it?" Carmelita asked.

"903," Sly replied quietly. Carmelita looked along the different doors in the hallway and found the correct room. She slid the card through the door's slot. The light went red. She tried the door, and it was locked. She slid it through again. It went red again.

"Here, let me..." Sly said, and took the card. He pushed the card between the door and the deadbolt lock and shuffled it, pulled the handle up forty-five degrees, and pushed the door slightly. It pinged and opened.

"Geez," Carmelita said, "I'm breaking into my own hotel room."

Sly laughed lightly. Carmelita waited at the door. Sly raised an eyebrow, and walked in to turn on the light. Carmelita followed. Sly flicked the light switch, and two lamps came on. He walked further into the room, looking around. The lights went out.

"Carmelita? Looks like this room has faulty lighting," he said, eyes slowly adjusting to the light.

"I turned them off, Ringtail..." she answered quietly.

"Um... having a light on is a pretty good way to see," Sly commented. Carmelita grabbed Sly's hand.

"Um..." he said, pulling away. She didn't release his hand, and used her other hand to grab his shirt firmly.

"Wh-what are you... doing?" Sly asked shakily. Carmelita answered by pressing her lips against his. Sly stumbled backwards, falling out of Carmelita's grip.

"What are you doing?" he asked again firmly, straightening his shirt.

"Something I've been meaning to do for quite a while, Ringtail..." she said quietly. Sly's face turned red.

"If you do this, you're going to regret it. Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but you will regret it for a very long time and for the rest of your life. I'd suggest that you'd try to realize the repercussions of your actions, _Inspector_," he put extra emphasis on the last word, still blushing.

"I... I don't know what came over me. I'm very sorry," she said, switching on the light. She looked away.

"I should probably go," Sly said, straightening his bow tie.

"Y-y-you do that, Sly," she said, realizing that it must have been one of the only times she called him by his first name. Carmelita sat down on the cushioned couch in the room.

"Maybe you'd like to have dinner again tomorrow?" Carmelita asked, still not looking directly at Sly.

"Are you sure the _Inspector_ should be accepting the fruits of criminal activity?" Sly asked, pausing in the open doorway.

"I'm sure the _Inspector _will pay for her portion of the meal," Carmelita said quietly.

"I'm surely not going to obey the law on that one," Sly said, laughing as he closed the door.

Carmelita frowned. _Why am I... falling for this criminal?!_ She thought of Cooper, the pathetic _thief_, stealing, breaking the law – _frequently. _This lawless creep was flirting with her constantly with piercing eyes... athletic prowess... _he's so cute._ She smacked herself mentally.

"Ringtail..."

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	6. Of Spice and Men

Faint memories and odd feelings flowed through Carmelita's mind as she slept. A blue and grey moon was rising over Paris, and the Eiffel Tower was contrasted against it. She was dancing on a balcony with someone. She knew who it would be. ...She was right. But, the moon sank below the horizon and the sky turned red. Something was wrong...

Inspector Fox awoke with a gasp, putting her hand on her head. She turned onto her side. She rubbed her eyes. There was a Cooper gang calling card on her table. She pushed back the covers, stood up, and snatched it. Written on it...

_Carmelita, it looks like we have a lead on Superintendent Nata, and I think it would be a good idea to trade in dinner for breakfast._

Carmelita smiled.

_Later..._

"So, Cooper," Carmelita said, fiddling with a napkin, "what exactly is this news about the Superintendent?"

Sly pulled out a few photos showing Nata in various scenes. He spread them across the table.

"These are some current pictures, and as you can see, she doesn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary."

Carmelita looked over the pictures, and she could see that most were just her drinking coffee on her porch, watching the television, getting her mail...

"However," Sly said, interrupting her thoughts, "look at this one." He pointed.

"Ooh," Carmelita said. It was a picture of Nata holding a gun and threatening one of the former Octavio's goons.

"It looks like me 'finding' that envelope didn't go over so well," Sly said, collecting the pictures, "don't you think?"

Carmelita bit her lip.

"Well, Bentley managed to scrape up some information about her. He said it wasn't easy, something about breaking into something and doing something networks..." he trailed off. Carmelita coughed.

"Er. Anyway, Nata grew up as a poor girl from France, and she toiled away in her family's small farm to scrape up enough money to buy basic necessities," Sly said, taking a small sip of water, "turns out, she was so underpaid for her and her family's work, she turned to crime. She ended up stealing minor things, then starting quite a reputation for herself when she pulled off robberies. Eventually, she became sort of a mini mob boss at the age of seventeen. If you touched this lady, she'd have her thugs tan your hide," he continued, scratching his neck. "Of course, when the local police actually managed to get a few people to talk, her operation was shut down. Unfortunately, she has a very good memory. She killed _every last officer_ in her small town... and then burnt her records. She then fled to parts unknown... and now she's back, with the rank of Superintendent at Interpol," he said, frowning.

"Oh, geez." Carmelita said, biting her lip again.

"Yes, it's going to be a problem... and Bentley has figured out what her operation is all about." Carmelita blinked.

"Spice... but not that spice that the Klaww Gang was pedaling. This spice is yellow, and it's very expensive. She's managed to get a lot of it at once, and is selling it... the problem is that in larger amounts, this stuff can make people sick. The long term effects might be worse, but we're still not sure that's the center point of her operation. She's very intelligent, and ridiculously paranoid," he said, frowning. "We do have a man on the inside... sort of. He used to be a big customer in the spice trade, and he should know quite a bit about spice," Sly said, looking towards the street and waving to no one in particular. A few seconds passed.

"Hey, bro," a purple aquatic iguana said, strutting up, "and angry-cop-lady-with-gun-that-put-me-away. What's up?" Carmelita raised an eyebrow.

"Carmelita, this is Dimitri. Yes, I was the one who busted him out," Sly said, smiling.

"And thanks to that, bro, I got back my greasy sweet diving equipment," Dimitri said, pulling up a chair from another table. "So, what's the situation or whatever, bro?" Dimitri asked, nabbing Sly's croissant.

"Well, there's a new lady at Interpol who's pedaling gold spice," Sly replied.

"Gold spice? That stuff is hopping, bro. I don't buy and trade no more, but I can tell you, that stuff is _hot_!" he said with great emphasis, "In fact, of all the spice that I traded in before, I think I only got about a pound of gold spice the whole time... it's very valuable." Sly smiled.

"Thanks, Dimitri. There are a few schematics that Bentley wants you to look at," he said, handing over some papers. Dimitri muttered something in French, grabbed them, and walked away.

"Well, now that business is done, how about we finish breakfast?" Sly suggested, reaching for his croissant. It wasn't there. Sly looked down and blinked. "Dimitri stole my croissant? He stole breakfast from a master thief? Geez," Sly said, rubbing his eyes. Carmelita laughed.

Across the street, there was a shadowy figure in the window. "Laugh away... just keep laughing, and I'll keep watching. I'll know everything that you're about to do before you do it, and I'll always be one step ahead of you. Always!" Nata shouted to herself, twitching. "They said I was crazy, they said I couldn't do things my way my entire life." She was obviously demented. She started ranting again, but paused, and began laughing hysterically. "Now, Sly Cooper, if you feel like tangling with Celia of Chartres... I'll crush you!" she said, still laughing in a disturbing fashion. "I'll get you _all!_"

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	7. Dimitri's Got the Juice

"_Dimitri, are you in position?_" Sly asked over the Binocucom.

"Sure, bro. I have the juice, so don't be paying any mind when you're talking about such things." There was a pause on the other end.

"_Um. Okay, Dimitri. You know what to do_."

Dimitri strutted over across the fancy police party, past the well dressed attendees, to Superintendent Nata herself.

"Long time no see, Celia, you still got the juice?" Dimitri asked. She didn't seem to notice, as she was still turned around. "Are you hearing what I beam to you?" he asked again, raising an eyebrow.

"What? ...Dimitri!" she said, turning around and smiling widely, "I see you're still in the tip top."

Dimitri grinned, "And you still a cracker-box!" They both laughed.

"So, are you still in the spice trade?" she asked, looking around shiftily.

"Sure, Dimitri is still like a dance floor with many lights; Dimitri has many profiles, dig?"

Celia smiled. "Well, I have some gold spice, and not many buyers, strangely," she said, nodding, "if you bought some, maybe we could get the whole operation flowing again."

Dimitri laughed. "Sure, I might be in the market, but you have the _juice_, I'm thinking, but don't pay me no mind, about that you have some sort of operation off to the side-like," Dimitri said, winking, "and I might be wanting to be involved in."

Celia, after she had interpreted Dimitri's speech, grinned. "You're not even close to a cracker-box, Dimitri. Still very intelligent I see, even after all that weird speech," she said, chuckling. "Well, I'm famous in the criminal underworld, so, naturally, all the criminals want to know what I'm up to. If I use the spice trade as a front, I can be running a sifting operation in the Krack-Karov volcano..." Sly gasped from the radio. "And maybe I can find a few of Clockwerk's machines lying around... maybe even the Clockwerk..." she paused before she finished.

"Well, I can see you have big mind about giant robot owl," Dimitri said, nodding, "and you still got the juice. But, it's getting in the late time, and Dimitri feels like he' s going to hit the dusty trail," he added, "so, seeing you!" Dimitri turned and was making his way across the floor to the door...

"Dimitri. Wait," Nata said, quite loudly. "I challenge you to... a dance off!" There was a laugh on the other end, and the person on the radio switched to Bentley.

"_Okay, Dimitri, just like you said,_" he said in his nasally voice, "_she's challenged you to a... um... dance off._" Sly's laughing could be heard faintly in the background. "_You know what to do... start in twenty seconds._"

Dimitri spun around. "A dance off, says you? Well, I can't mind to say I didn't see it coming..." he said, raising an eyebrow. "But, I'm the dance master, dig?" Nata was about to laugh, until purple mist started flowing into the room, and spotlights of the same color were aimed at Dimitri... as he rose slowly above the ground. A beat began to pulse in the background. Nata twitched.

"Let's dance!" Dimitri yelled, twirling about in midair, suspended by a thin cable. The lights changed color and rotated about with the beat. The attendees to the party stood dumbfounded, as a shadowy figure wielding a cane slipped past the entrance, past the bewildered guests, and into the door leading to Interpol's Venice Headquarters.

"Walk tall, stand tall, feel funky!" Dimitri yelled, gyrating in midair.

"Bentley, I'm in position," Sly said quietly, "I think I've found Celia's office."

Sly tried the door, and it opened with a tiny creak. Sly eased it open, and walked in quietly. He walked over to Celia's desk and examined it thoughtfully. "Bentley, what does the secret compartment look like?"

Bentley snorted on the other end. "_It's secret. I don't know, find it_."

Sly rolled his eyes, and got on his back, slid under the desk and noticed a thin outline in the wood. He touched it, and it slid. "Jackpot," he said, smiling. A file folder fell out of the desk into Sly's hand, and he flipped the cover. "Krack-Karov Volcano... she's trying to find something," Sly said, flipping through the technical information of Clockwerk's remaining facility, "but what, exactly?" He kept flipping through until he landed on a very important page. "The Clockwerk... Mind?" he asked, rolling his eyes, "Another Clockwerk part... minds aren't exactly physical," he continued, snickering, "This lady's really wasting her time." He skimmed the page. "Oops," he said, looking at a picture at the bottom, "Bentley had better see this."

Back at the celebration, Dimitri finished his song and lowered to the ground slowly. "Dimitri... you got the juice," Nata said with an expression of shock.

"Dimitri knows what the ladies like," he said, winking. "But... now I must be gone! Bye to you!" he said, running out the door. Celia raised an eyebrow as every guest attending the party clapped as Dimitri left.

"_Dimitri,_" Bentley said over the radio, "_You... you got the juice._" Dimitri laughed. "You're just figuring that out, Turtle?"

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	8. Formulating Attack

"So, Bentley, does this really mean anything?" Sly asked, tossing the file folder on the table.

"I'm not sure, Sly," Bentley said, adjusting his glasses, "but I'm pretty sure that the threat more than warrants taking it seriously."

Sly nodded. "Well, if this Clockwerk... 'Mind' is real," Sly said quietly, "and if Nata's really meaning to pull a Constable Neyla on us, then we _need _to come up with a plan."

Bentley nodded. "Murray, what do you think?"

Murray raised an eyebrow. "I think... therefore... I am."

Bentley stared at Murray with a blank expression. "That's really deep," Sly said.

"Anyway, from what I've found out so far, it looks like Superintendent Nata is trying to either bring Clockwerk back... or become Clockwerk," Bentley said grimly, "The problem with that is, she's having a hard time sifting through the lava in the Krack-Karov Volcano."

Sly nodded and said, "And the problem with _that _is...?"

"Well, she has heavy defenses, guard patrols, search lights, laser trip wires, laser death beams, and I've managed to find out that she has Clockwerk's Death Ray working again," Bentley added.

"I say we go in, smash everything, and the problem is solved!" Murray shouted in triumph.

"I share your enthusiasm in breaking things as well," Bentley said, "But we're going to have to break things very carefully."

Sly frowned.

"We're going to have to break a giant hole in the security wall around the entrance to the Volcano, get through Clockwerk's old traps and through Nata's new ones, get into the sifting area, set off a massive bomb, and get out before the whole place crashes down on us and turns me into turtle soup, you into a raccoon hat, Murray into a pink sweater, and our van into a nickel."

Murray's eyes started to water.

Sly leaned back in his chair. "So, business as usual, eh?"

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	9. Preparation

"_Carmelita,_" Sly said on the telephone, "_We need to discuss a few recent... developments."_

Carmelita smiled. "Preferably in person?" she asked.

"_Sure, sure... dinner again? Maybe this time we can actually eat it,_" Sly commented.

Carmelita smiled. "Okay, sure."

Carmelita looked around her hotel room while Sly paused. _It's fancy, _she thought, _it must be putting some stress on Sly's wallet. _She chastised herself mentally. _First of all, _she thought angrily, _he's a thief and is paying for it with stolen money, and most importantly... why do I care? _ She frowned.

"_Carmelita?_" Sly asked.

Carmelita snapped back to reality. "What? Oh, um..."

"_I'll contact you with the details later_," he said, and hung up.

Carmelita smiled.

_Later..._

Carmelita smiled as she sat at the table in yet another fancy Italian restaurant.

"Wanna know the bad news or the ironic news?" Sly asked with a drab expression.

"Um... the bad news," Carmelita answered.

"Well, Nata is after something called the Clockwerk Mind so she can either resurrect Clockwerk or _become _Clockwerk..." Carmelita stared with a blank expression, "Yeah, she's going to pull a Constable Neyla, apparently."

Carmelita sat there for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "And the... ironic news?"

"We really _can't _eat this meal, either. Turns out, Bentley needs your help to stop Nata... and we have to go pack up your stuff _right now_!" Sly said, with a silly smile.

"Um..." Carmelita said, raising an eyebrow.

Sly stood up, took Carmelita's hand, and fell to one knee.

"Carmelita," Sly said, as most of the other guests looked over expectantly, "Will you help me break into a fortress built into a volcano and possibly defeat a resurrected robotic owl?"

"Awww..." went the crowd, probably not hearing what he actually said.

"Um... sure," Carmelita replied.

The other guests applauded, still thinking that Sly had popped a question a bit different from the one he did ask.

Sly leapt up quickly. "Well, come on, we have to get ready," Sly said, smiling.

Carmelita and Sly walked out of the fancy restaurant, and Sly scanned the horizon.

"Well, come on," he said, still wearing a smile.

A few moments later they arrived at the hotel, and once again the unenthusiastic employee greeted them with a drab expression of welcome. They used the elevator, walked down the hall, and opened the hotel room door with little trouble now that the manager had given Carmelita a working card. They entered.

"So, what do you think I'll need for the trip?" Carmelita inquired.

"Hm... some warm clothes, some boots, a hat or some earmuffs, and maybe a sleeping bag," he suggested.

"Right, well, I have all of that except a sleeping bag... but I can buy one somewhere," Carmelita said, nodding to herself.

"Well, then I'll help you pack up your stuff," Sly said in a friendly manner.

Both of their hands touched on Carmelita's travel bag. Carmelita blushed, and Sly smiled briefly.

"First, some warm clothing..." he said, standing up and picking a sweater out of Carmelita's closet. "It _is _Russia, after all..."

Carmelita snickered.

"What?" Sly asked, frowning.

"Well, we're going into a volcano," Carmelita commented.

Sly chuckled as he folded the sweater and placed it on the bed next to the bag. "You said you had boots?" Sly asked.

"Sure, sure, I'll grab them," she replied cordially.

"You know," Sly began, "It's pretty funny how I'm just helping you pack and everything's gumdrops and rainbows."

Carmelita looked back from fiddling in the closet. "What do you mean?"

Sly sat on the bed and put his hand on his head. "Well... Normally you'd be blasting me with a few shock pistol charges," he said with a wide smile. "Just a thought."

"Yeah, well. I'm in a good mood," she said coyly as she tossed over a pair of boots.

Sly caught them and smiled. "And some earmuffs," Sly suggested.

Carmelita resumed fiddling in the closet. "Aha!" she yelled triumphantly as she picked up the earmuffs and tossed them at Sly.

Sly caught it, twisted them so they would fold, and stuffed them in the bag with Carmelita's clothes, sweater, and boots on top with a plastic bag around them.

"Geez, you're good at packing stuff," Carmelita said, inspecting his work.

"Yeah, well," Sly said as their eyes locked.

Neither of them looked away, as Sly sat and Carmelita stood, both frozen. Carmelita managed to break out of it first.

"Well, I'm pretty tired," she said, stretching her arms. "I think it's just about time for me to go to bed."

Sly nodded, and stood. He kissed Carmelita's cheek.

Carmelita blushed, raising her hand to her reddening face. "And you didn't even chain me to a runway this time," she said quietly.

Sly chuckled as he let himself out of the hotel room and closed the door.

Carmelita sat on the bed, smiling.

* * *

**Psst. Review.**


	10. Hearts, Love, Guns, and Knives

"_I'm in position," _Sly whispered over the radio.

"Good, good," Bentley said, speaking into the transmitter. "You need to run a heat signal check on the base, make sure we know where everybody is."

Sly snorted on the other end. _"It's a volcano, Bentley."_

"Yes, I know that," Bentley replied. "But the base isn't near the lava... that's Clockwerk's old base."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Well?" Bentley asked.

"_There isn't a single person there," _Sly answered. _"It's completely empty."_

Penelope frowned. "Jeepers, Bentley."

Bentley freaked out. "Mission compromised! _Mission compromised!_"

"Hold on there, Bentley," Penelope said. "I know we flew out to Russia for... nothing at all..."

Bentley frowned.

"But, if she isn't here, then think about it... she must have found what she was looking for. Now, where would she go?"

Bentley rubbed his hands together. "To France, I suppose... if she found what she was looking for and has no reason to be anywhere else... she has more reinforcements there," he commented, deep in thought. "And we better get there to find out what she's doing now!"

"_Read you loud and clear, partner," _Sly commented over the radio. _"I'm coming back to the van."_

_Later, after a long flight, a good night's sleep, breakfast, and taking a morning stroll through France.._

"_Sly! Sly!" _Bentley shouted over the radio, _"Carmelita's been kidnapped!"_

Sly almost dropped the radio. "What?" he asked.

"_Oh, it's terrible, Superintendent Nata has her... and she's holding her hostage!" _Bentley continued, obviously freaking out. Again.

"Easy, pal... where is she being held?"

"_In an old warehouse... Nata says that she'll hand her over for... you."_

Sly frowned. "Well, that's not going to happen. I'm a master thief. I can break in there and get Carmelita out easily."

"_I hope so."_

"Thanks," Sly replied dryly.

* * *

_Later..._

_

* * *

  
_

"Carmelita...?" Sly asked, looking past a few barrels in the dark, abandoned warehouse.

"Mmmph mph," Carmelita answered.

"What?"

"_Mmmph mph!" _she repeated.

Sly noticed her mouth was covered.

Suddenly, Carmelita looked past him with a terrified expression.

"_Mmph mmmmmmmph mph!!!" _she screeched.

Sly spun around; just barely dodging a knife lunged right at his back.

"Nata," Sly commented.

"Cooper," she replied with venom. "I hate you... so much."

Sly blinked. "Um... okay. Why?"

She stabbed at him again, and Sly dodged her attacks.

Celia threw the dagger to the floor, and pulled out a pistol. "Finally, I will be rid of you... Cooper."

"Finally?" Sly asked, frowning. "Sorry, lady, but I don't think we've even properly met."

"Incorrect, Cooper," she answered with a dark expression.

Sly, in a deft motion, kicked the gun out of Nata's hand. She leaped back, grabbed the dagger, and lunged at him. Sly dodged silently, and spun around behind her. She leapt backwards and kicked him in the chest, knocking him forward.

Carmelita broke free from her partially untied rope. She grabbed the pistol and pointed it at Nata. "Freeze."

Nata dropped the knife, but laughed. "You can't kill me," she replied to Carmelita, and then she faced Sly. "You are the weakest Cooper I have yet encountered."

"Yet?" Sly asked, frowning. "Oh... my _god_."

"What?" Carmelita asked.

"She's... Clockwerk?" he asked.

"Pathetic. I am not Clockwerk, I am better... I am Clock-ta!"

"Wow. That's a really crappy name... kind of ripping off 'Clock-la' there," Sly commented.

"Shut up, Cooper," she replied, swinging down to pick up the knife and throwing it at Sly. He didn't dodge it. It landed in the center of his chest.

Sly gasped, and fell backwards, unconscious.

"Sly," Carmelita said.

"Now, to take care of _you..._" Nata commented, yanking the knife out of Sly's chest. It was blood-soaked. "I'm afraid that you..."

Carmelita fired repeatedly into Nata's chest.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. _Bang._

Nata stood there; hand on her profusely bleeding chest. One shot had hit home. And by home, I mean Nata's heart.

Nata crumpled silently to the floor.

That was when the police decided to show up.

Sly stood, clutching his chest, limping out of the warehouse by the broken wall he had come in. He turned around.

"I'll be fine... I'll check into a hospital," he said, coughing. "Looks like it missed any vital organs and if it didn't... I guess I didn't need them."

Carmelita laughed, despite everything. "See you later, Ringtail..."

"Oh, and there's enough proof to keep you from getting a life sentence," Sly commented.

"Thanks."

Sly slipped away silently, and Inspector Barkley decided to come inside.

"Inspector Fox?" he asked, looking down. "_SUPERINTENDENT NATA?!_"

"Um. I can explain," Carmelita said lamely.


	11. The Big Fancy Tie In!

"Carmelita... funny seeing you here," Sly commented, pulling himself upright in the hospital bed.

"I hear you're all healed up," Carmelita said, smiling.

"I sure am... also, about 'Clock-ta'..." he said, frowning. "Looks like her mind merged with that Clockwerk Mind thing she found... but, now we know for sure that Clockwerk's body and mind are finally both gone... forever."

Carmelita nodded.

"So, Inspector," Sly asked, "How did killing your superior work out?"

Carmelita smiled wryly. "Well, looks like I'm off the hook. Her spice operation was exposed, and she had a weapon."

Sly smiled. "That's good... I have to go soon," he commented.

"I see."

"Yes, well..." a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.

"Are you... crying?" Carmelita asked, raising an eyebrow.

"N-no."

"Um... okay, well... where are you going?" she asked, a curious expression on her face.

"I... can't tell you."

Carmelita frowned as he stood up with a pained expression on his face, and she wasn't sure if it was because of his wound or because of her.

* * *

_Later..._

_

* * *

_

"Nice to see you, Foxy," Sly commented, keeping his attention on Carmelita and the maniacal Doctor M.

"You too."

"How cute. A love interest," Doctor M said, laughing. He fired a bolt at Carmelita.

"Not her..." Sly said, diving into the path of the shot... _zing!_

"...ooper... Cooper! _SLY!_"

"Where am I? Who are you? ....Who am _I_?"

"Um... you're my partner... _Constable Cooper_."

"Well, we better get out of here... this place doesn't look like it's going to hold..."

Carmelita smiled.


	12. Epilogue

Carmelita sat on the couch, looking around at the house that she and Sly had lived in for almost a year now. She looked to her right into Sly's warm eyes, and smiled.

"I've been thinking about a vacation... maybe to England... Ireland..." she said, smiling as Sly smiled back. "Maybe Italy."

Sly smiled, stopped smiling, continued smiling, and rubbed his chin with a blank expression.

Carmelita dropped her wine glass which crashed against the floor with a mighty echo. Sly paled.

"Y-y-you don't have amnesia, do you?" she asked, shocked.

"I'm not really Constable Cooper, am I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as if he were in deep thought.

Carmelita clenched her fist.

"Is there a problem with that?" Sly asked as he stood up to get a towel and a broom.

Carmelita was silent.

Sly stopped walking to the kitchen.

"No."

They both smiled in unison.

**The end. That's it. You've seen everything.**

**Go outside.  
**


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